EU has signed an agreement for this Iris² constellation 290 communications satellites that will operate in both medium and low Earth orbit. Starlink will provide secure connectivity to rival government users as well as private companies and European citizens, and bring high-speed internet to dead-zones. The value of the public-private deal was €10.6 billion (about $11 billion). according to The Financial TimesExpected to come online by 2030.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), interconnected satellites placed in different orbits will enable constellations to communicate safely and rapidly and remain constantly connected. without the need for thousands of satellitesBy comparison, SpaceX has already launched about 7,000 low Earth satellites since 2018 to ensure Starlink's global coverage and low latency. The IRIS² constellation will consist of 264 spacecraft in low Earth orbit and 18 spacecraft in medium Earth orbit.
SpaceRISE – a consortium led by European satellite network operators SES, Eutelsat, and Hispasat, and supported by European satcom subcontractors such as Airbus and Deutsche Telekom – awarded a 12-year concession contract to develop, deploy, and operate the IRIS² constellation Has gone. IRIS² is the acronym for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite.
“This state-of-the-art constellation will protect our critical infrastructure, connect our most remote regions and enhance Europe's strategic autonomy. “By partnering with the SpaceRise consortium, we are demonstrating the power of public-private collaboration to drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits to all Europeans,” said Hanna Virkkunen, Tech Executive Vice President for Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
In September, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said She wanted to see more competition For Elon Musk's Starlink. “Our economy doesn't benefit from monopolies… Every communications market that has competition is strong, we see lower prices and more innovation, and frankly space should be no exception.”
Update, December 17: Added details on the number of satellites in the constellation.